19/07/2024 - The feature is an adaptation of Janja Vidmar’s young-adult novel that follows the protagonist as he grows up and copes with various challenges

Principal photography for the newest feature by Slovenian helmer Boris Jurjaševič, Elvis Škorc, Clever Klutz, commenced at the beginning of July in Ljubljana. According to the shooting plan, it will last for at least 28 working days, on location in the Slovenian capital’s urban neighbourhoods as well as in one of the most beautiful karst caves in Slovenia (the exact location is still to be revealed).

The screenplay is an adaptation of the young-adult novel of the same name by Janja Vidmar, and has been written by the author herself. Jurjaševič and Vidmar have previously collaborated on various TV and film projects, including Blues for Sara (1998) and Dergi and Roza in the Kingdom of the Marmot (2004).

The movie tells the story of the titular, likeable protagonist, who searches for his place in his family and among his peers while having to deal with his parents’ divorce, bullying at school and the challenges of first love. “Young viewers will easily recognise themselves, while older ones will remember how they dealt with such problems themselves when they were young,” Jurjaševič stated at the beginning of the shoot.

The star of the film is 14-year-old newcomer Maks Peštaj Zevnik. The picture will also feature a number of newcomers in the roles of Elvis’s peers, as well as professional actors playing the adults in his life. Iva Krajnc, who also performed in Jurjaševič’s previous fiction feature, Sly Foxes (2017), plays the role of Elvis’s mother, Matej Puc (glimpsed recently in Nejc Gazvoda’s Role Model [+see also:
film review
film profile]) steps into the shoes of his father, Zvezdana Mlakar plays his grandma, and Marko Mandić (recently the star of high-profile Slovenian titles such as Hanna Slak’s Not a Word [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hanna Slak
film profile] and Sonja Prosenc’s Family Therapy [+see also:
film review
interview: Sonja Prosenc
film profile]) takes on the role of his teacher.

The film will be lensed by Prague-based Slovak DoP Alexandr Šurkala, Niko Novak handles the production design, Polonca Valentinčič designed the costumes, and Eva Uršič is overseeing the make-up. The producer is Radovan Mišić, of Fabula. Elvis Škorc, Clever Klutz will be realised in co-production with RTV Slovenia, and it has received financial backing from the Slovenian Film Centre as well as technical support from Viba Film.